In the traditional Western brewing canon, the grains of choice have always been barley and wheat. Even in the earliest records of human civilization in ancient Sumer, fire-baked clay tablets record endless wedges of cuneiform detailing movement of so many silas (roughly a quart/liter) of different grades of barley and wheat (different grades yielding different quality levels of beer). While the exact varieties have changed over the millennia from Mesopotamia to modern times, barley and wheat have been a constant.

Over time, other standard adjuncts joined the brewer’s toolbox — like rice, maize, and oats — each bringing its own qualities to the pint glass. They provide easy-to-ferment sugars. Rice provides a crispness. Corn provides a candied note. Oats contribute a rich silkiness perfect to counterbalance intense hoppiness.

But, stepping outside into the wider world, anything that provides starch or sugar has inevitably found its way into the local alcoholic beverage. If it’s available, convenient, and cheap, then into the booze vat it went. Other crops provide a chance to use plants that grow with better ecological and economical footprints. Think beer with less water and pesticide usage and improved quality of life for farmers. Beyond the yeast fuel, each ingredient brought a local flair that made that drink, the local drink. 

As brewers strive to find “new” flavors, they’ve reached into other traditions and areas. With modern shipping they don’t even have to risk life and limb on death defying trips to far flung corners of the globe to try something new! You can just picture our ancestors shaking their heads at the almost absurd surfeit of modern life. 

One of the beauties of homebrewing is how easily we can tap into the world’s largess. We have a freedom at our ridiculously small scale. You don’t need a shipping container of grain, not even a full sila. Anywhere that provides grain — the homebrew supply shop, the grocery, the local “international” market, and the online mega-marts — can provide you unique brewing opportunities. With a few simple processes and some light Googling, you’ll be set!

There are a few considerations you need to take into account when looking at a grain you’ve never brewed with before to make sure you get the most out of your experiment.

Pre-Treatment

First things first, does your new ingredient require any pre-treatment before use? Quinoa, which is technically not a grain, but a seed from the Chenopodium quinoa plant, benefits from being washed to remove bitter flavors that would detract from your pint. Other grains like unprocessed fonio have a husk that must be removed and even good old-fashioned maize can have germs that should be removed due to oil content or harsh flavors. Often, by the time you purchase these ingredients, the pre-treatment has been done for you. The point is, know what or if something needs to be done before you toss it into your mash tun.  

Busting Out the Starch

If you’re using a grain that’s been par-cooked — like grain flakes that are steamed and smashed between rollers (think your classic oats) or torrified/puffed/popped (think puffed wheat, Rice Krispies) — you don’t have to worry about this next bit. But if your grain is just basic kernels or ground, you may need to do something to access the starch needed for brewing. 

If you’re using unprocessed grains, you’ll need to figure out its gelatinization temperature. Think of a grain kernel as a lockbox filled with starch. All that fodder is locked away safe from amylase enzymes that would dare to convert it to sugars usable by yeast. Each lock opens when you hit at or above the right temperature for long enough to bust the starch free of the caging. Once gelatinized, the starches move into solution and can be transformed by the enzymes in the mash. A simple search of the web will usually get you in the ballpark (quinoa, for instance, is in the 145–170 °F/63–77 °C range, according to a quick Google). If your grain is coming from a brewery supplier then they will have the information on hand.

For a handful of alternative grains that I’ve seen brewers use and their gelatinization temperature ranges, check out the list at the end of this section.

If you’re lucky and your grain is either par-cooked or the gelatinization range is at or below standard mash temperatures, you can proceed as normal (many wheat variants nestle perfectly in our mashing range, making them an easy fit). Chuck the grain in the mash and go. If it isn’t, then you’ll need to cook the grain first. 

There are a number of ways of doing this — decoction mashes are used in African brewing practices to deal with the higher temperatures required for millet and sorghum (two of the continent’s foundational beer ingredients). By pulling grain from the mash and bringing it to a boil, the locks will be busted, at least for most of the grain. You can do a decantation mash — instead of pulling grain like a decoction, you pull as much of the wort as you can from the mash and bring the whole mash body to a boil (found in African and gluten-free brewing practices). Or you can even do an American cereal mash, which cooks the pesky grain separately (think uncooked rice or corn) and then add the cereal to the main mash as a heating element.

And if all of that is too much for you, you can always go old-fashioned and make a loose porridge with the grain, cool it, and add it to the mash. You can even do that the night before! Remember, the purpose of this step isn’t to make subtle, al dente grain bites, it’s to smash open the granary stores of starchy goodness so we can give our yeast sweet, sweet sugar.

For the mad science brewer, there are blends of enzymes (like Ceremix Flex, a blend of maltogenic amylase, alpha amylase, and pullulanase) that will bust the starches out of their lockboxes and ready for conversion — no gelatinization required. By using these blends, you can avoid the need to separately cook your cereals and run a “normal” mash (following the recommended mash schedule). You can find the enzymes and specific instructions on using them largely through the gluten-free brewing community. They use them with gluten-free malts to produce wort that flows freely instead of being turned to porridge. Keeping extra enzymes (either a blend or just straight alpha amylase) on hand is a good brewing practice for days when you’re experimenting, or even as insurance for when things go wrong! 

A Brief Catalog of Alternative Grains

Here are a few examples of readily available grains from around the world that can take your beer in different directions. Some grains have long brewing histories (millet, sorghum, black rice), while others are relatively new. Again, keep in mind we live with an embarrassment of riches and just about anything starchy can prove to be interesting brew fodder.

Enzymes In General

When brewing, we rarely give enzymes a thought beyond “if I select this mash temperature, I favor the action of this enzyme,” but once you start reaching outside of trusty barley and wheat, you’ll need to pay attention. 

Fortunately, maltsters have made it easy for you and provide a diastatic power score for their malt. This is usually expressed in American and British brewing circles in degrees Lintner. (There are a few different systems, but I prefer Lintner, so there we are). If your target grain is coming from a malt supplier, they should be able to tell you at least if a grain can “self-convert.” If not, you’ll need to pack in enough enzymes to convert the starchy goodness to sugar. Remember that excess starch in the fermenter provides a wonderful food source for contaminants since brewer’s yeast can’t touch the stuff!

The general rule of thumb for making sure you have enough enzymes is to calculate your mash’s “average diastatic power” and if it’s 40+, you’re in the clear. To calculate this, take the diastatic power index for each of your grains and multiply it by the weight to determine a total value for each addition. Add those values together and divide by the total weight of the grain bill. 

Grains like low-color American 2-row or 6-row (Pilsner/pale) are insanely enzymatically hot with Lintner values like 120–160. They provide enough power to convert two pounds/kg of adjuncts for each pound/kg of base malt. German Pilsner malts (~80) are still capable of converting one pound/kg for one pound/kg. When you get to darker and toastier malts, like a British pale ale (~50), you see a quick drop-off. It’s generally safe to assume that paler malts and lager malts have higher enzyme levels. 

If you’re flying blind, it’s always safest to assume you won’t get any additional enzymes from the new grain. Extra enzymes never hurt to have when playing around! Now you can see why I say that American malts are enzymatically hot enough to convert starch three buildings away that looked at them funny. (It should come as no surprise that American growers have been influenced by the corn and rice-heavy American
industrial beers.)

Designing Your First Recipe

With the science out of the way, you’ll need a recipe to learn what your new grain can do. If it’s an ingredient with traditional brewing uses like sorghum and millet, you seriously should consider running with a recipe from the grain’s source. After all, they’ve had experience with what can and can’t be done with this grain that you’re looking at for the first time. Break out of your well-traveled lanes. Try these new-to-you processes and flavors. And thanks to the same global supply chain that brought something like teff to your hands, you can now easily get other traditional ingredients like the gesho leaves used to bitter Ethiopian beers and meads. If you don’t want to commit to a full-sized batch, then by all means make a smaller 2-gallon (8-L) batch. It’ll be a less intensive, less expensive, less wasteful brew day that gives you a chance to find different flavor patterns for your palate. 

Alternatively, if you just want to figure out how to use it in a new creation that’s fermenting in the back of your mind, take a cue from the world of SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) beers. Instead of brewing a SMaSH, brew a SMAH (Single Malt, Adjunct, and Hop) beer. Keep it simple with a base malt that either gets out of the way or can complement the grain. There’s absolutely nothing boring about a Pilsner malt recipe; many styles, like Bavarian hefeweizen (Pilsner malt, wheat, bittering hops), are SMAH beers. Keep the hops unobtrusive like my favorite, neutral, and clean Magnum. Remember, there’s nothing stopping you from brewing a “simple” beer and then adding dry hops or other flavors once you’ve learned what you needed to.

For the adjunct, using 10% of the grain bill is the safe place to start, but many adjuncts really show off at 20%. Then some, like wheat, are pretty happy being nearly the whole beer, but keep those higher percentages to later experiments for now. Also, those higher percentage experiments will make you thankful you followed my earlier advice about keeping additional enzymes on hand! After making these first flavor-probing forays, you’re ready to play!

Check out my SMAH recipe below for a good starting point if you want to get a feel for a new grain and really taste the flavors it contributes to your brew.

An Express Taste Test Tip

To get a quick sense of what an ingredient will bring to the glass, take a taste! Pop a small amount of prepared grain into your mouth and give it a chew. Let the sample sit in your saliva for a minute or two. As the enzymes in your saliva attack the mass, you’ll perceive the newly available sugars. Take notes on the flavor. Breathe out through your nose and note the aroma. Now you have practical taste experience that, when combined with grain supplier data sheets and any test beers, can guide your further brewing.

Before you get too wobbly from the idea of using your saliva to free up sugars for a taste, remember that even today saliva is used as a kick starter to traditional forms of corn beers from around the Americas. 

Getting Playful

Despite my insistence that the simplest recipe is the best recipe, man does not live on simple beers alone. Particularly in this day and age of culinary-inspired beers and pastry stouts as attention getters, there’s a reinforced sense of playfulness in brewing. When you have additional ingredients beyond barley and wheat, you add new colors to your flavor palette.  

It’s easier to talk about the simple recipe concept — it’s focused, it’s driven to a singular point, and it leans on the well understood K.I.S.S. principle. Telling you how to play successfully is like describing the “one true way to paint,” but I’ll give you a couple of pointers.

Understand the flavor you’ll get from each of these ingredients. (For instance, Sorghum is renowned for a sharpness that you don’t find in other grains.) 

Use the SMAH beer to cement the actual impact.

Picture the experience you want — what role does your alternate grain play? Is it the star of the show? What other elements do you need to support it? (Remember, the point isn’t to say “I made a teff beer” as much as, “I made this great beer that uses teff to a purpose.” 

And because the K.I.S.S. principle is a universal law, don’t go overboard with your choices. Don’t sling seven different grains in the tun when three will do the trick!

The Practicum — A Study in Fonio in Two Parts

Here’s an example of grain testing from my own homebrewing. Recently, RahrBSG began importing an ancient West African grain called fonio. They sent me samples and turned me loose on it. It’s clear from looking at their specification sheets and reading the language that they picture the grain as providing a boost to the tropical fruit characters popular in modern American IPAs. Thanks to their guides, I knew I could use up to 20% of the stuff in my mash tun with no trouble. Several breweries have done 100% fonio beers, but that’s madness beyond my daring!

Before I brewed, I cooked up a portion using a simple recipe from Senegalese-born chef and fonio cheerleader, Pierre Thiam. It showed Fonio’s deep earthy and cinnamon spiced tones that I wanted to capture in my final beer.

I ended up creating two recipes. One was a tropical-oriented modern pale ale with a whirlpool charge of mango-heavy Styrian Wolf hops. Using the new Gambrinus IPA malt provided an unobtrusive base for a beer that ended up being surprisingly hop-forward with the spicy earthiness of the fonio providing an accent to the Thai-like hop aroma. This U.S. homebrew ended up being truly global with Canadian malt, West African grain, and German and Slovenian hops. Find this recipe, named Fonio Gold, below.

The “easy” beer out of the way, I tackled the sort of high-concept design process I’ve become known for. One of my brewing mentors, Bruce Brode, passed away, and given his musical and polymath ways, I wanted to honor him with a saison for the Southern California Homebrewers Festival and took inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence (recipe below). This recipe leaned on fonio to provide earthy and spicy notes that would enhance the rustic characters of the other grain choices. The end result was complex, strange,  and fun, while not being over the top “XXXXXTREEEEMEME.” (For a recipe like that, look back at the July-August 2025 “Techniques” column on brewing with fruit for my Dole Whip Tripel recipe.) The Fibonacci Saison was crisp, dry, earthy and rustic while being an overly complicated math joke that would make most people’s eyes glaze over. In other words, perfect.

Looking at the two recipes with fonio, you can see both the SMAH and playful recipe designs in action. You could reasonably substitute any number of other grains into the Fonio Gold and get a good result. But with the Fibonacci Saison, anything other than fonio would require other changes to deliver the desired flavor impact. 

Mash the World

With all the globe’s growth potentially at your fingertips, I hope these example techniques and philosophies encourage you to try things from beyond the classic European-inspired brewing traditions. There are multiple ancient varieties of wheat like emmer and einkorn that can bridge your brew back to those early moments of Sumerian record keeping. There are starchy crops used in other brewing practices like cassava and bananas to pull into your mash. Even old brewing favorites like maize are coming to life with heirloom varieties grown and malted. 

Let your mash paddle explore the world, but as you do so, keep an eye toward good global citizenship. Particularly when crops are coming from vulnerable communities, make sure to buy from ethical sources that support the farmers. We don’t want a repeat of the quinoa health craze causing shortages in the Andes.

Beer brings people together the world over and now you can also bring the world into your beer! 

Two pro brewers share their approach to brewing with non-traditional grains including sorghum, amaranth, and black rice.

Leo Sawadogo: Montclair Brewery

Leo Sawadogo was a homebrewer for over a decade before he and his wife, Denise, opened Montclair Brewery in New Jersey in 2018

Brewing with unique grains is all about expanding your mind and then trying to explore a different horizon in brewing. It’s about not being afraid to try different things and get out of your comfort zone, and then making something unique. When I travel to another country the first thing to do is go to the local market and look to see what ingredients are available and then try all these ingredients in foods while thinking about how they would work in my beer. And growing up in Africa, I remember certain tastes that I want to recreate here. Grains like fonio are a food staple in Africa, but nobody uses it for beer there. A lot of people come to our brewery to try those kinds of beers with these unique flavors.

Sorghum is the most widely available grain in Africa and is commonly used for brewing (done by the women in each household). I remember my mother would soak the sorghum for at least two days to malt it and then spread it out and dry it before using it to brew the beer. Growing up watching her always made me want to do that. Now we make a sorghum beer, but I get malted red sorghum imported from Africa. Sorghum provides a very unique flavor that is difficult to describe as it doesn’t taste quite like anything else. It’s gluten-free, so we brew it in a different area and use 100% sorghum for customers looking for gluten-free options. Sorghum requires a few unique steps. First, you have to mill it very fine into a powder. It also requires enzymes to get to the sugars and help avoid a stuck mash, such as Ultra-Ferm®, a liquid amyloglucosidase enzyme that hydrolyzes dextrins into fermentable glucose. It also requires a healthy dose of rice hulls to avoid a stuck mash. We put these at the bottom of the mash and then the sorghum on top. I keep the hops low, allowing the sorghum flavor to shine. 

I’m inspired by traditional African beer, but as a pro I do things a bit differently. They actually boil the beer for up to three days, which is partly because that is the tradition and how they’ve been taught, but it may also be because they don’t use enzymes so it needs a longer boil. I do a traditional one-hour boil and then cool and pitch kveik yeast. I believe Norwegian kveik is actually similar to the yeast in Africa, where fermentations are finished in three days. 

A while back we brewed a beer in collaboration with Allagash Brewing that used amaranth because a farmer in Maine had some available. Jason Perkins at Allagash said we should get out of our routine with the usual stuff and make something different. And I’m like, yeah, why not? I myself had wanted to brew with amaranth for a long time. We had to mash the amaranth first. I don’t recall the exact temperature, but believe it was in the 140s °F (low-mid 60s °C). The grain worked well, and provided a distinct crispness to the beer. I don’t think it contributed much in the flavor of the overall beer because amaranth is a pretty neutral grain, but it provided a clear color and a crispness. 

In the near future, I’m looking at brewing more with less-common brewing grains including fonio, couscous, and quinoa. 

As a homebrewer, if you come across a new grain, I’d recommend a simple recipe. The reason you’re using a unique grain is to try to discover its flavor in beer, so try not to overpower its contributions. Probably start with a small batch using 10–20% of the new grain and then try to see what flavor is going to come out of it. Don’t get stuck trying to brew a particular style. Just make beer.

Damien Martin: Dangerous Ales

Damien Martin is a trained chef who fell in love with fermentation, leading him to open Dangerous Ales in Milton, New South Wales, Australia in 2019. 

One of the more interesting grains we’ve used is black rice (also called forbidden rice) in a dark lager. While most rice used in lagers is fairly neutral in flavor and purely added for fermentables, black rice has a very unique flavor profile. It’s not just about the color; it brings complexity and subtle grain-driven character that you don’t typically get from standard rice varieties. I’d describe it as a soft, grainy nuttiness and with a slight earthy undertone, which adds layers rather than just boosting alcohol or lightening body. 

Black rice gelatinizes at a higher temperature than barley malt, which requires a cereal mash to access the starches. I mashed in at 113 °F (45 °C) and held for 10 minutes, adding a small amount of barley to generate enzyme activity. I then boiled the black rice for 20 minutes before adding it into the main mash at a slightly cooler-than-usual strike temperature to account for the heat from the cereal mash. It is a similar method used for any rice — I’ve previously brewed a jasmine rice lager that included the same steps — the main difference is the color and flavor black rice contributes.

Anywhere between 10–20% of the grain bill works well, depending on style. Any higher and you may start impacting mouthfeel and head retention, or need to compensate with additional enzymes. 

For anyone who is interested in brewing with black rice for the first time, I’d recommend starting with lagers or porters, as the sugars are fully fermentable and suit styles that allow the rice character to subtly come through. 

To date, our Black Rice Lager is the only recipe we’ve brewed with it, but it’s a fun ingredient. Based on that experience, one recommendation for homebrewers experimenting with it would be running the rice through a mill to crack it open. It’s not essential, but it helps speed up the cereal mash process. 

The quintessential flavor and color of a Guinness Irish stout. The rich maltiness of an American amber. The crisp, dry finish and mild roast flavor of German schwarzbier.

Using dark specialty malts and grains in brewing is not only a requirement for darker styles, but also a secret weapon amongst many amateur and commercial brewers for medium-colored and even some lighter styles. These roasted malts and grains significantly enhance the color and complexity in a beer. And there are other reasons to incorporate these roasted dark malts and grains into your recipes, whether you are brewing all-grain or supplementing an extract-based batch with dark specialty grains. Let’s examine these dark malt attributes a bit closer.

Why Use Dark Specialty Malts?

Flavor Complexity

Dark specialty malts add a range of rich, nuanced flavors that are difficult to achieve with lighter malts alone. Depending on the type of dark malt used, you can impart notes of chocolate, coffee, caramel, toffee, and even subtle smokiness to your beer. This can make your brews stand out with unique and memorable profiles.

Color Enhancement

Dark malts can transform the color of your beer, providing deep amber, brown, or even jet-black hues. This is particularly important for specific styles such as porters, stouts, and brown ales, where a darker color is characteristic. The visual appeal of a beautifully colored beer can be just as important as its taste.

Aroma

The aromatic properties of dark malts are as significant as their flavor contributions. They can impart a delightful roasted aroma to your beer, enhancing the overall sensory experience of drinking your brew. Imagine the enticing smell of roasted coffee or chocolate wafting from your glass — it’s an experience that captivates the senses.

Mouthfeel and Body

Dark malts can contribute to a fuller body and smoother mouthfeel in your beer. Through complex proteins and sugars, they often add viscosity and richness, making the beer feel more substantial and satisfying. This is especially desirable in beers meant to be sipped and savored, such as big stouts and barleywines.

Head Retention

Dark roasted barley malts contain proteins and polyphenols, as well as protein-polyphenol complexes. These are especially abundant in roasted barley, chocolate malt, and similar dark roasted malts. These surfactants, or surface-active complexes, reinforce foam structure as they settle to the surface of the beer and interact with air and CO₂ providing foam stability. Caramel malts contain melanoidins, browned sugars and amino acids, that are also surfactants. Generally, roasted malts will have some intact proteins or melanoidins, meaning they are excellent for contributing head retention!

Historical and Style Accuracy

Many classic beer styles historically include dark malts. If you’re aiming to brew authentic versions of these styles, using the appropriate dark specialty malts is essential. Whether you’re crafting an English porter, an Irish stout, or a Belgian dubbel, choosing the most suitable dark specialty malts help you achieve the authentic taste and appearance that defines these beers.

Balancing Sweetness

The bitterness from dark malts can help balance out the sweetness from lighter malts and adjuncts, which is even more important in styles without a lot of bitterness from hops. This balance is crucial for creating well-rounded beers that aren’t overly cloying. The roasted bitterness can act as a counterpoint to residual sugars, creating a more harmonious flavor profile.

Experimentation and Creativity

Homebrewing is as much about creativity and experimentation as it is about following recipes. Incorporating dark specialty malts gives you a broader palette of flavors and aromas to experiment with. You can create unique brews that are entirely your own, pushing the boundaries of traditional styles or inventing new ones.

How Dark Malts Are Made

Dark specialty malts start the same way as most malted grains — first with steeping, then germination, and finally kilning. However, the key difference is in the final step of roasting (or sometimes extended kilning) at very high temperatures. Although we refer to these grains as specialty malts, some are simply raw roasted grain, like roasted barley. For our purposes we’ll refer to them as a category as dark specialty malt. Let’s take a look at how these dark malts get made.

Steeping and Germination – Growing in the Grain

Chocolate malt and black malt start the same as any pale base malt. The grain is steeped to increase moisture content and to initiate germination. This builds up enzyme levels and prepares starches for potential sugar conversion.

Once done hydrating and beginning to grow, or “chit,” the grain is moved to germination beds to grow. This is where enzymes are activated; however, we are less concerned about that for dark specialty malt, as these will be deactivated during roasting. After a few days, this “green malt” is moved to kilns or, in the case of caramel (or crystal) malts, directly to the roaster.

Kilning and Roasting – Drying the Grain

Kilning is how base and light-colored malts are made and may be a first step for many dark specialty malts. Whether kilned at lower temperatures (usually below 250 °F/121 °C) or moved from germination, most traditional specialty malt is made in a drum roaster similar to those used for coffee or nuts. The grain is tumbled and heated in the drum until it reaches a target temperature and color range. Temperatures and humidity in the drum are closely controlled and vary greatly, with a typical range of 250–600 °F (121–315 °C). This high-heat treatment causes a range of chemical changes that are important for the flavor and attributes of dark specialty malt:

Maillard reaction: (Non-enzymatic browning) produces complex flavors like toast, chocolate, and biscuit.

Caramelization: Occurs when sugars melt and brown, producing sweet caramel and burnt sugar notes.

Pyrolysis: Near-combustion and carbonization of the grain, resulting in bitter, dry, and burnt coffee-
like flavors.

Caramel or crystal malts are drum-roasted wet to convert starch to sugar inside the husk. This is the same basic mashing (saccharification) process that brewers do. This sugar then caramelizes during roasting, producing a glassy crystal core.

In contrast to caramel, a toasted malt involves taking a malt that has been dried and “finished” in the kiln, and then dry roasting it in a roaster. This imparts an entirely different flavor and spectrum of colors as well. You can experiment with this at home by taking your own base malt and spreading it evenly ¼-inch (6-mm) deep in a baking tray and putting it in your oven for 10–15 minutes at 250–350 °F (121–177 °C). Watch your malt closely to ensure it doesn’t begin to burn!

Types of Dark Specialty Malt and Their Usage

In contrast to base malt, which makes up the bulk of a grain bill and is used primarily for its enzymes and fermentable sugars, dark specialty malts do more with less, imparting large amounts of color, flavor, aroma, body, and head retention at less than 20% of the overall grain bill. Light specialty malts are generally defined as having a color below 30 °L; dark specialty malts usually fall within the massive range of 30–600 °L. 

Due to this range, the differences in their sugar contribution, fermentability, color, and flavor vary widely.

Putting Dark Malts to Use

Dark specialty malts are versatile. How you incorporate them into your brewing process can affect your beer’s final character. Whether you’re brewing with extract or all-grain, there are a variety of ways to maximize those attributes of flavor, aroma, and color. You can also minimize harshness or astringency if you pick the appropriate method of use. The nice part about dark specialty malt is that almost all of it doesn’t need a traditional mash process (check if there is starch content in the manufacturer’s specs, these may contribute more from mashing), so you can be creative in how you steep and extract flavor and attributes from this malt. Next, we’ll get into some methods worth trying in your next batch.

For extract brewers, specialty grains are the go-to method for adding flavor complexity and depth.

Extract Brewing Methods

Traditional Steeping: Most dark malts are ideal for typical hot steeping. Add the crushed grains to a mesh bag and steep at 150–160 °F (65–71 °C) for 15–30 minutes before removing and rinsing the grain bag with a couple quarts or liters of 150–170 °F (65–77 °C) water. Then proceed to the boil. Be sure the steep temperature stays below 170 °F (77 °C) or you may get some harsh tannins and acidic notes from roasted grains.

Fast Steeping: Use the above traditional method for a very short time. By limiting the total steeping time to only 2–5 minutes, you’ll avoid extracting too many tannins or getting any harsh notes from dark malts. This method is ideal for dark and black roasted malts. It will keep the flavor well-balanced and is best when color is the main reason for using your dark malts.

Cold Steeping: Similar to traditional steeping, this method can be done before boiling. This is best done with dark malts that may contribute to harshness or astringency. Add the crushed grains to a mesh bag and steep at 50–70 °F (10–21 °C) for 30–45 minutes. Be sure to mix and move the grain bag around to make sure the proteins and other components are thoroughly diluted into the water. Cold steeping can be used with caramel malts and other lower color roasted malts, but the efficiency of providing sugar, flavor, color, and other attributes might be limited without a good rinse, using a couple quarts or liters of cold water. Cold steeping can also be done in the fermenter after fermentation is complete, or as you add the wort, in the first 30–45 minutes. Sanitize a steeping bag and add your grains. Your wort will be more susceptible to infection, so be as sanitary as possible if you choose this method. The added benefit is that your roasted grains will never be exposed to boiling, which means you won’t be getting any harshness and astringency. If doing this with caramel malt, realize you may be adding a small amount of additional sugar.

All-Grain Brewing Methods

All-grain brewing gives you full control over dark specialty malt integration and balance.

Traditional Specialty Malt Use: Crush and add to your mash tun with all other malts and grains and proceed with your mash schedule and saccharification as usual.

Late Mash Addition: Add your dark specialty malt during the last 10 minutes of the mash or even just during mash-out (sparge/vorlauf). This limits extraction of astringent compounds and leads to smoother roast profiles, which may benefit certain styles.

Cold Steeping: Prior to mashing, cold steep your dark specialty grains for 30-45 minutes at 50–70 °F
(10–21 °C) and then remove the grain. Use the water as part of your usual mashing regimen. As described earlier in the Extract Brewing Methods section, you can also steep these dark malts in the fermenter as well.

Beer Style – Example Usages

Although the dark specialty malt chart on the previous page describes a significant number of dark beer styles that require the use of dark specialty malt, there are many styles that benefit greatly from their use. Outside of the classics like Irish stout that require roasted barley, or robust porter and the prolific use of black malt, some popular medium-colored beers that use dark specialty malt are:

Red Ale — Irish and American red beer recipes often need dark specialty malt to impart a red hue. Although there are now malts designed to contribute a significant red hue, the classic method used by brewers is to add about 8% crystal 40 °L and 2% chocolate or roasted barley malt to a 90% base malt grain bill.

American Pale Ale — Crystal 60 °L (and Crystal 40 °L) has long been the balance to a heavy amount of hops in pale ales. Use a medium crystal, something in the range of 30–70 °L at a rate of about 5% of the grain bill to really balance your hops perfectly.

Barleywine — This big beer is meant to be malty. A heavy dose of dark crystal malt (80–150 °L) is often added at a rate of 3–5% of the grain bill. One trick savvy brewers use is adding 1% of a black malt to not only balance the sweetness with some acidic dark malt, but to impart a nice orange to brown hue in the beer.

Belgian Dubbel — This style loves dark specialty malts of all kinds. A pinch of a toasted malt like amber (1–2%), a dash of chocolate malt (2–3%), heavier amounts of Special B or another dark caramel (5–8%), and maybe even some medium caramels like Caramunich^® (4–6%) and voila! A beautiful Belgian Dubbel. For those looking to experiment with different dark specialty malts that lean heavily into fig, raisin, and other dark caramel notes, this is an ideal style.

Despite this being the age of the hop, maltsters are bound and determined to not let the lupulin farmers have all the fun. We’re nearly buried under mountains of new grains and varieties that promise something special. To confidently choose from this giant pile of ingredients, we’ve preached practical experience for best results and insights into what a new toy gives our brews. 

But even the most ambitious amongst us will discover that keeping pace with the deluge is akin to King Canute commanding the tide. Surely there must be an easier way to gain the malty knowledge we need!

Would you be surprised if we said, “Why, yes . . . yes there is!” After all, this would be an awfully short monograph if we didn’t! Before we dive headlong into processes and procedures, let’s discover why we need to develop our grain “vibing” skills.

What’s New in Grain

First, The Old

With rare exception (looking at you, Maris Otter), barley varieties constantly change. Just like every big bright red summer tomato isn’t a “Beefsteak,” your “pale malt” might be made of varieties like Conrad, Expedition, Odyssey, and more. The American Malting Barley Association releases an annual list with recommended varieties. The 2024 edition contained more than 40 recommended barley crops.

This explains why you’ll see older grain bills that list “Klages” or “Harrington” – two popular varieties introduced in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But as growers’ needs change (yield, disease-resistance, drought- and temperature-tolerances, etc.), they plant new varieties to meet customer demand.

“Flavor” is not in that list because in modern agronomics, a matter of taste rarely matters. This change makes recreating historical recipes a dicey proposition since you can’t start with the same grains . . . until recently. Several maltsters — Crisp and Weyermann among the largest — have planted select heritage crops bringing back old varieties with different flavor impacts at a premium price. 

Craft maltsters like Sugar Creek are in the game releasing Edelweiss, an old Pilsner malt. It’s a trip to make an IPA with “the original IPA malt” (Crisp Chevallier®), but given their dearness, you want to use them to their utmost.

Now, The New

Naturally, not all of the grainy goodness is looking to the past. New malts and malt types are being released all the time. Like the recent rise of “red” malts hitting the market to simplify making bold red beers without the color variability or hint of roasted coffee added by the traditional skosh of black malt. Different forms of crystal malts with new flavor profiles. Even new base malts designed for modern needs (see Gambrinus IPA Malt or lager malts with softer levels of classic Moravian malt flavors). And new adjuncts galore like malted corn or variants of malted oats or even wilder grains new to the brew kettle. 

Plus, the craft malt scene adds layers of terroir and differing technique to the mix! With so many new options out there, it’s time to try something different.

Taking the Malt Challenge (from easiest to hardest)

How do you make a beer with a new malt without wasting your time or your beer? After all, we only get so many brew days and we want to maximize their utility. We’ll give you a few quick and easy methods, one medium effort bit of nerdery, and then finally walk through the one true way to know.

Hit the Books

We are card carrying nerds of the type with fond memories of hours spent riffling the card index searching for information. Today, it’s so easy to grab data that we neglect to think of it as a real effort. But in this case, it absolutely is where you start. Malt companies want you to use their products and they know it’s a confusing landscape. On their websites you’ll find the base numbers (gravity, color, protein, etc.) and descriptions you need to form a basic opinion. If you’re visually oriented, look for spider graphs that chart tasters’ perceptions.

Some websites will also list things like suggested uses — styles and amounts — but don’t feel constrained by them. One of us (guess which) kinda purposefully pivots away from suggestions out of sheer stubbornness. “Oh, this is the original IPA malt? How about I make a mild with it?” (Incidentally, that was a great mild.)

 If the info you need isn’t handy, reach out to the maltster directly with your questions.

The truth is also out there buried in the opinions of your fellow brewers and if you know anything about brewers, they love to talk beer. Find a commercial brewer that makes a beer with the target grain. Ask online forums, phone a friend, etc. This is a good starting point, but you’re brewing for your preferences, so at some point you’re going to need to put the grain where your mouth is.

Tasting

After reading and researching you should have an inkling of an idea or a plan, but words are not organoleptic reality, plus you may randomly discover a grain when you walk into your local brew shop (remember those?). The great search engine in your pocket may get you started but the first way to suss out a malt’s character is thankfully the easiest and a test you should be doing on the regular anyways. Taste them! 

A good homebrew store allows you to grab grain from bulk bins and buckets. Ask if they mind you sampling a few grains here and there. We’ve yet to encounter a shop that begrudges curious nibbles. This is not an all you can eat cereal bar — your intention is discovery, not gluttony. Grab four or five kernels and give them the once over — physically, visually, and aromatically. What does the grain feel like? Is it hard, soft, or glassy like a crystal malt? Is the color uniform across the sample? Is it possibly a blend of grains? What do you smell? Spices, earth, dust, or must? Does it smell of fresh bread dough or toast?

Then commit to violence — pop the kernels into your mouth and crush them open. DON’T SWALLOW. Let the partially powdered grain sit on your tongue, soaking in saliva. As you wait 30 seconds or so, you’ll feel a shift. The malt transforms in your mouth via the amylase enzymes in the saliva. Starches get transmuted into sugars and flavors open up.

What do you taste? As with all things sensory – tie it back to images and sensations you know. It’s OK to think things like “Cocoa Puffs,” “Maris Otter, but more so,” or “Burnt toast and Munich malt.” These images/phrases form the functional foundation of what you need to effectively use these new ingredients. Tying new ingredients to items you already use helps guide you. This test also refreshes your sense memory for ingredients you already know.

If you’re ambitious, try a proportional test. Grab 20 kernels of grain in a mix that reflects how you’d use them in a beer — say, 18 pale malt and two of the new stuff (a 90/10 split) and repeat the test. What do you perceive this time?

Fill out the mental index card and file it in the stacks for future use.

Grain Tea

Eating the grain is a good way to get your start, but at some point, it’s just not complete enough. If you have multiple malts to compare, then it’s also not terribly efficient. Fortunately, Briess has given us a fairly easy method to test called the hot steep method — aka grain tea!

While hot barley tea is a thing in a number of countries, it’s not here — except with brewers mixing wort with Scotch (aka the Hot Scotchy) as a cheeky breakfast beverage. In 2015 Briess teamed up with Lindsay Barr, now of Draught Lab, to create a standardized method of creating malt teas for sensory evaluation. 

Since this is also an American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) test (ASBC Sensory Analysis 14 Hot Steep Malt Sensory Evaluation), the method is rigidly proscribed. What it boils down to is pretty simple though:

• Take 52 g of malt (either 100% base malt, 50/50 of base and specialty, or 85/15 of base and dark roasts) and blend it into powder, husk and all.

• Mix 50 g of the grain dust with 400 mL of water at 149 °F (65 °C) in a jug.

• Steep for 15 minutes.

• Run the steeped liquids after 15 minutes through a fine paper filter (such as a coffee filter).

• Once collected, allow to cool to room temperature and sample. Take copious notes of the aroma, flavor, and color sensations.

In other words – create a very small mash, convert the starch, strain the wort, taste.

That’s a very quick summary, but full instructions can be found on Briess’s website here. But remember the reason these tests have precise instructions is to ensure that the sensory lab produces reliable results with repeatable methodology. In other words, it’s not the only way to steep a cereal. For home use, create your own method with what you have on hand. As long as you can “mash, convert, strain” on a small scale with consistent measures. Go for it! Drew’s been known to hold jars of mini mashes warm in a sous vide bath, because he’s obsessed with foodie hot tubs. 

Making malt tea is more time consuming than chomping on a few kernels, but it’s still straightforward, cheap, and effective for exposing the impact of a grain. And yet . . . 

Brew It Real Good

Ultimately, the one true path to ingredient wisdom is to brew. You have a few paths laid out before you – the “purely scientific route,” the “tweener route,” or the “we’re doing it live” route. 

The scientific route looks a lot like the Briess hot steep method, but completing the brew day. Make a simple recipe with basic base malt and your target malt. We used our Magnum Blonde Ale (recipe to the right) for testing a number of hypotheses and what’s “the impact of this grain” if not a testable question? Mid-weight gravity, moderate neutral bittering, with neutral fermentation characters. To test specialty grains, sub in a portion of the attached recipe’s bill for your new grain. Say 10% for an assertive malt and up to 50% for less assertive grains. 

Trust us when we say this beer is almost aggressively neutral and therefore perfect for accentuating any changes to ingredients or process. If you want to truly go full science nerd, brew a control batch with no adulterations to serve as a clear baseline. Differences will stand out like a candle lit in a darkened room.

For the in-between route, and honestly the approach we take most often, take a recipe you know intimately, the kind that is settled in your bones, and add the new grain in there. The hope is to be able to discern the impact of the new grain you’re trying out but also brewing a beer that is a good fit for that grain and will result in a beer you’ll be happy to consume an entire batch of (over the course of time). Drew’s been doing this for yeast and grains for years with his Saison Experimentale and his Cream Ale. Denny makes tweaks to Wry Smile Rye IPA or others. It’s not the most scientific, but it’s useful as a bench trial of a real application to our brewing world. Just choose a recipe where the kind of grain you want to learn about is relevant.

Lastly, there’s the classic homebrewer method — flying by the seat of our inflammable pants. You could totally wing a new recipe. After all, why not? It’s only beer. But even when you’re testing the drag coefficient of your trousers, try and keep an eye towards the learning. How will you pick out what this one “new to you” ingredient does? Are you showcasing it? If it’s blended in with other new/forceful ingredients, you’re going to have a devil of a time picking out each addition’s impact. But this is homebrewing, if you’re not having fun by forcing yourself into a final exam reminisce, what’s the point? Fly that daredevil spirit, you just might have to repeat your lessons like a recalcitrant pupil. Wait, more beer? Hmm . . . maybe we should do more “experiments” like that. 

Two last thoughts before we leave you to your grain explorations. Don’t be afraid to brew small — your learnings are just as valid whether you’re making one gallon (3.8 L) or a hundred (380 L). Lastly, don’t get overly exuberant with your new toys. Using too much of an ingredient can blur the knowledge you want for day-to-day brewing.

Now go and find your new favorite ingredient! 

Q: I’ve been hearing a bit about fonio, but have no idea what it is or how it’s used in brewing. Can you shed some light on this topic?
— Robert Smith • Lodi, California

A: Fonio caught the attention of Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery in 2019 by way of a TED Talk, “A Forgotten Ancient Grain that Could Help Africa Prosper,” presented in 2017 by Senegalese chef and passionate fonio advocate Pierre Thiam.

In a 2024 interview with Chef Thiam about listening to his TED Talk, Garret said, “I knew from day one that people at some point had made beer out of this because people had made beer in Africa out of every grain that there was. And the first time we [brewed with] it, we did it with about 30 or 40% [white] fonio, the beer actually smelled like Gewürztraminer wine. Kind of like lychee fruit and all these very tropical fruit sort of characteristics. It smelled like wine. And then it had this very subtle, almost . . . unbuttered popcorn finish in the end, that [added a] kind of warmth.”

Garrett is as passionate about brewing with fonio as Chef Thiam is about cooking with this ancient grain (more on that in a bit). In celebration of his 30-year anniversary with Brooklyn Brewing, the brewery launched “Brewing for Impact, an initiative that celebrates his enduring influence while embarking on a collaborative exploration with seven breweries worldwide to spotlight the ancient West African grain fonio — and its untapped brewing potential.”

The breweries who have participated in this collaborative initiative are Maison Kalao (Dakar, Senegal), Thornbridge Brewery (Bakewell, Derbyshire, United Kingdom), Omnipollo (Stockholm, Sweden), Carlsberg (Copenhagen, Denmark), Russian River Brewery (Santa Rosa, California), Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, New York), Jing-A Brewing Co. (Beijing, China), and Guinness (Ireland and U.S.A.).

This background explains why fonio is popping up in the press, but what exactly is fonio and why are people so excited about it?

White fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a part of the Paniceae tribe of grasses that include millet. Although there are other types of fonio, like black fonio, white fonio is by far the most agriculturally significant. When reading about “fonio,” it is safe to assume you are reading about white fonio. Historical and archaeological records show that fonio has been cultivated for at least 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest, if not the oldest, African cereal crops. Today, fonio is primarily grown in the hot, dry, Sahel region located south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Guinea, Nigeria, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Senegal are the largest fonio producers. Although fonio is a small crop when compared to crops like rice and wheat, annual production is about 750,000 metric tons, or about 2,000 times the annual production volume of Kernza®, another small grain that has recently drawn media attention.

Two things make fonio a special cereal: Its nutritive properties and its growth habits. Fonio, like quinoa, soy, amaranth, buckwheat, and chia, contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete source of protein. And fonio produces its bounty in dry climates with poor soils, and without irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Chef Thiam’s passion about fonio began after he learned about this forgotten grain and how fonio cultivation could help feed his brothers and sisters in Senegal.

His interest led to dramatic improvements in processing, a traditionally labor-intensive and slow process, a complete supply chain giving African farmers access to the U.S. market, and a sustainable way to bring money back to Africa to further grow agriculture in a region with very real needs. That’s the inspirational food story. The beer story picks up when Garrett Oliver listened to Chef Thiam’s TED Talk in 2019. Being the creative and awesome brewer that he is, Garrett’s first thought was beer! And the rest is history.

Thanks to Chef Thiam’s vision, fonio imported into the U.S. has been milled to remove the husk and steamed to gelatinize its starch, making fonio an easy addition to the mash. And because fonio starch, typically comprised of 77% amylopectin and 23% amylose, is very similar to other cereal starches used in brewing, it easily converts like other unmalted adjuncts during the mash. Unlike oats and rye, both known as rich sources of gummy beta-glucans and pentosans, aka dietary fiber, fonio is not a gummy source of stuck mash headaches. Finally, fonio usually contains less than 10% protein by weight, giving it about the same potential extract as rice, maize, and other starchy adjuncts.

What about milling? No need to mill because fonio is smaller than the grains of sand found on many beaches. If you want to crush fonio to maximize yield, the way to do that is to use a powerful blender and turn it into fonio flour. But the commercial brewers using fonio are not doing that.

Like all non-traditional brewing ingredients, there are no style rules about brewing with fonio. Have fun, be creative, and let the flavor come through. After cooking with fonio for the first time, two styles immediately came to mind; a dunkel formulated on the lighter end of the color spectrum and a rustic farmhouse ale using a restrained yeast strain. If you want to give fonio a try, the easiest place to find it is online. 

You can open up a whole new world of brewing ingredients beyond malted barley and wheat when you master using a cereal mash to convert starch to sugars in grains such as corn, rice, oats as well as sweet potato, pumpkin, sorghum, millet, and rye. While many of these ingredients were looked down upon as just cost-saving measures used by large commercial brewers, homebrewers can explore new flavors by experimenting with cereal mashes to unlock new sources of sugars for yeast in your beers. BYO’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis shows you how to do your own cereal mashes at home.

When I started brewing a bit over a decade ago, I felt spoiled by what seemed like an unlimited number of malts to brew with, sourced from seemingly every beer-brewing country in the world. Things have only improved since, and the fact that you can now brew almost exclusively with floor-malted, heritage variety barley malted anywhere from Castleford, West Yorkshire, to Alameda, California, is nothing short of staggering.

But the resuscitation of historic barley varieties isn’t the only story in malting in the last few years. In addition to ushering in a heritage barley renaissance, maltsters have also responded to the growing number of styles we’ve been brewing (and distilling) by adding multi-tasking grains (lightly kilned malted oats, for example), malts with names like “IPA Malt,” and even grains free of a compound that leads to oxidation, prolonging the shelf life of beers brewed with them.

And while you’re increasingly likely to stumble across these new malts at your local homebrew store, we thought we’d compile a list with many of these new entries in order to showcase the breadth of maltster’s cutting-edge offerings, as well as to highlight some malts we thought deserved to be brewed with. So, without further ado, here are some great new malts that have become available to homebrewers over the last couple years, starting with some of those lovely, complex, heritage malts.

Heritage Malts

As a lover of all things malt, I’ve been delighted to see a renewed focus on complex malt flavor driven by base malt itself (can you tell?), and part of that movement has been a focus on resuscitating flavorful (but perhaps less disease-resistant or lower-yielding) barley varieties of the past, as well as traditional (but arduous) malting practices like floor malting. The following malts utilize one or both of those to produce some killer “new” (very old) malts.

Chevallier® Heritage Malt – Crisp Malt (U.K.)

Color

2.6–5.5 SRM

Extract Potential

76.7%

Tasting Notes

Deep maltiness with a marmalade-like sweetness and subtle notes of fresh bread.

Why to consider it

Per Crisp, it was the dominant barley variety in the U.K. from the 1820s–1920s. Quite the feat!

Where to use it

Golden ales, barleywines, IPAs, and DIPAs.

Haná Heritage Malt – Crisp Malt (U.K.)

Color

1–2.1 SRM

Extract Potential

76.7%

Tasting Notes

Freshly-baked bread, clean, and smooth.

Why to consider it

Haná was the variety of barley used in the very first Czech Pilsners more than 175 years ago.

Where to use it

Blonde Pilsner-style lagers.

Heritage Gold Malt – Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. (U.S.A.)

Color

3.8 SRM

Extract Potential

82%

Tasting Notes

Complex bread character with honey, biscuit, and floral notes.

Why to consider it

This is the new domestic heirloom offering — a base malt made from an heirloom variety, and traditionally malted in the style of an English ale malt.

Where to use it

Styles where malt complexity is desired — from dark Belgian beers (at lower rates) to malt-forward English ales (as the primary base malt).

Isaria 1924® – Weyermann Specialty Malting (Germany)

Color

3.4–4.4 SRM

Extract Potential

78%

Tasting Notes

Malt sweetness and a soft biscuit-like aroma.

Why to consider it

Isaria 1924^® is made from the oldest German certified malting barley variety, officially approved for beer in, you guessed it, 1924.

Where to use it

Traditional and/or unfiltered lagers like Kellerbier, festbier, and Zoiglbier.

No. 19 Maris Otter® Ale Malt – Crisp Malt (U.K.)

Color

2.1–3.4 SRM

Extract Potential

80.6%

Tasting Notes

Bold bready backbone with a complementary sweetness and malty afternotes.

Why to consider it

Just like a nice jar of vanilla paste is a complex wonder, so too is this floor-malted classic Maris Otter, indispensable in brewing rich, complex British ales. It has a deeper flavor than the conventionally kilned Maris Otter malts.

Where to use it

Best bitters, porters, barleywines, or in anything else showcasing complex British malt flavors.

Base Malts

While a return to tradition has been part of the base malt story, some other really interesting innovations have been occurring in the sci-fi land of malting in recent years. The entries below portend the future of malt, whether that be special milling techniques, malt varieties selected for health reasons (!), or a more style-driven approach to malting.

Eraclea Pilsner Malt – Weyermann Specialty Malting (Germany)

Color

1.1–2.1 SRM

Extract Potential

80.5%

Tasting Notes

Malt sweetness with light honey notes.

Why to consider it

This malt is made from 2-row Italian Adriatic Coast winter barley, and cultivated around Eraclea near Venice; if you’re looking for Italian Pilsner terroir, this is your malt.

Where to use it

Classic Mediterranean beers from Mediterranean-style lager (like Italian Pilsner) to Italian grape ale.

IPA Malt – Gambrinus Malting (Canada)

Color

2–2.5 SRM

Extract Potential

79%

Tasting Notes

Bread, toast, grain, and a slight nuttiness.

Why to consider it

A base malt specifically made for IPAs — what else need be said?

Where to use it

Hop-forward West Coast IPAs, hazy IPAs, DIPAs (or anything else with a ton of hops in the recipe forumlation).

North Star Pils^TM – Rahr Malting Co. (North America)

Color

1.3–1.8 SRM

Extract Potential

79%

Tasting Notes

Overtones of honey and sweet bread, with notes of hay and a nutty character.

Why to consider it

The domestic barley selection grows richer every year, and this low-color, low-modification lager malt is a very cool addition to the ensemble.

Where to use it

Use this malt for the base of pretty much any classic or new-age lager style.

Pilsner Zero Malt – Viking Malt (Europe)

Color

1.5–2.2 SRM

Extract Potential

80%

Tasting Notes

Malty, slightly nutty, and sweet.

Why to consider it

This is a “LOX-less” variety of Pilsner malt, meaning it is made from a barley variety that does not produce the lipoxygenase (LOX) enzyme. This mediates certain oxidation reactions in beer, thus extending the shelf life of your beer by reducing the overall rate of oxidation and staling, while also contributing to increased head retention.

Where to use it

This malt should be used in any Pilsner malt-based beers where you’d be concerned about oxidation, e.g., light lagers, hoppy beers, or in batches that may not be consumed too quickly.

Synergy Select Pilsen Maltgems® – Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. (U.S.A.)

Color

1.8 SRM

Extract Potential

83.3%

Tasting Notes

Clean, sweet, with notes of bread, cracker, and honey.

Why to consider it

This malt is a classic Pilsner malt with a twist: The majority of the husk, fine grit, and flour have been removed to minimize bitter/astringent flavors.

Where to use it

Pretty much anything you’d use Pilsner malt in, particularly less-hopped beers where the base malt character is dominant.

Adjuncts

An influx of new base malts seems to be the main malt story of the last few years, but we’d be remiss not to highlight some of the cool new adjuncts that maltsters have cooked up
as well:

Crystal Red Malt – Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. (U.S.A.)

Color

200 SRM

Extract Potential

75%

Tasting Notes

Pronounced caramel, burnt sugar, raisins, and prunes.

Why to consider it

This is a classic drum-roasted crystal malt that’s been roasted specifically to enhance its redness. 

Where to use it

This malt can be used in almost any style that isn’t ultra pale, contributing gold through orange/red and up to deep red hues depending on usage rates.

Dextrin Malt – Rahr Malting Co. (North America)

Color

1.2–2.2 SRM

Extract Potential

N/A

Tasting Notes

Bready, grainy, and raw barley flavors (more prominently at higher usage rates).

Why to consider it

As lagers and hazies soar in popularity, a malt that can boost body, haze, and foam is a very powerful tool to have around.

Where to use it

Hazy IPAs, lagers, stouts, or wherever you’d like a boost in head retention/mouthfeel.

Honey Malted Oats – Gambrinus Malting (Canada)

Color

3–6 SRM

Extract Potential

N/A

Tasting Notes

Bready, grainy, and sweet notes with a rich body and smooth, silky mouthfeel.

Why to consider it

Oats meet honey malt — malty sweetness and favorable oat characteristics in one package (and they have husks, so no need for hulls!).

Where to use it

Hazy IPAs, oatmeal stouts, brown ales, or any other malt-driven styles.

Parting Words

This was in no way a comprehensive list, and I’d love to shout out a few of the other maltsters that deserve a hearty hurrah for their recent additions to our grain bins, namely: 

Warminster Maltings

A traditional floor-malting operation in the U.K. with a great, classic U.K. line including brown malt and mild ale malt that hit the U.S. homebrewing scene in mid-2021.

Prairie Malt

A Saskatchewan, Canada, maltster that’s part of the Boortmalt Group, features a number of malts (including another one of those very cool LOX-less base malts) that have started to trickle into homebrew shops.

Admiral Maltings

Based in California’s Bay Area, which is producing some superbly cool malt including a recent collab with Crisp that married Crisp-grown Haná barley with Admiral’s floor malting to yield a superb lager malt.

And having said all that, there’s one thing left to do — brew! To that end, we have two very special recipes for you that each use one of the malts highlighted in this story.

The first comes to us from Hanabi Lager Co. based in Napa Valley, California. They brew some incredible traditional, grain-forward lagers on their drool-worthy custom decoction brewhouse using truly esoteric (and flavorful!) malted barleys like Purple Egyptian and Bere, and their recipe for Haná Pilsner featuring Crisp’s Haná malt, one of those wonderful “new” heirloom variety malts, is a crystal-clear lens through which to examine those subtle malt complexities.

The second recipe, for Whistlestop Oatmeal Stout, utilizes Gambrinus’s multifaceted Honey Malted Oats to lend a toasted oatmeal sweetness to an already smooth and easy-drinking stout, was sent over by Forgotten Star Brewing Co. based in Fridley, Minnesota. Built in a storied WWII manufacturing facility, Forgotten Star sports quite a few award-winning beers.

You can brew tasty, even award-winning, beer without ever needing to read a malt lot analysis, aka Certificate of Analysis (COA). Most homebrewers and small craft breweries rely on the generic analysis already embedded in brewing software or average gravity points per gallon or liter. But barley, like all seasonal crops, changes from year-to-year, region-to-region, and crop-to-crop. Small changes in seasonal and regional malt quality affect how the mash behaves, including, but not limited to, mash efficiency. For large breweries where even a tiny change in mash efficiency can equal hundreds of thousands of dollars in extract loss, small improvements can lead to huge gains. For the small brewer, it may appear as just a blip that is chalked up to process deficiencies.

But there are other reasons to read, or at least understand, the COA. All malts are not created equal. Some malts, such as six-row, have a higher protein percentage and diastatic power than standard two-row, while others, such as dextrin malts, may or may not have diastatic power of their own. Some malts can be particularly gummy; others may even require a protein rest. This information (and much more!) can be found on the malt COA.

You will find loads of information on a COA that won’t make any sense without at least a casual understanding of all the acronyms, numbers, and percentages. To complicate matters, malt COAs are not standardized from maltster to maltster. Some maltsters include information others leave off, or the information’s acronym is written slightly differently from brand to brand. In addition, European COAs use different acronyms and measuring units than American COAs. Still, every COA should contain information regarding the malt’s color, moisture, protein content, extract potential, and, if applicable, diastatic power.

The example in Figure 1 is a rundown of what one might encounter on a typical 2-row pale malt COA. It’s intended to give the brewer enough information to get a basic idea of what is encountered on a COA and what information may need to be input into a recipe formulation spreadsheet or software. For example, the “ideal range” will not be typical of higher-kilned or specialty malts but will give the brewer an idea of whether the malt is suitable for a single infusion (or not) or if any special handling is required. Following is a more detailed but brief explanation of each COA data point.

Color

In North America, malt color is measured in either Lovibond (°L) or Standard Reference Method (SRM), and in Europe, it is measured in European Brewery Convention (EBC). Often, both North American and European measurements are included on the COA.

Lovibond and Standard Reference Method are close enough to be considered the same for base malts, but the differences become larger as malt color passes about 10 ºL/12.8 SRM. To convert SRM to Lovibond, add 0.76 to SRM and divide by 1.3546; to convert SRM to EBC, multiply SRM by 1.97. Calculators are also available online that easily translate between Lovibond, SMR, and EBC.

Brewing malts range from 1.6 SRM/3.2 EBC to 850 SRM/1675 EBC. The higher the number, the darker the malt. Higher-kilned base malts, such as Munich malts, will have a higher color than paler base malts and a more pronounced “malty” flavor. Higher kilning temperatures also tend to denature enzymes, so the darker the malt, the less diastatic power it usually has. Highly kilned malts, such as roasted and crystal malts, will have no viable diastatic power.

Moisture Content

All malt contains some moisture after kilning, but too much can cause storage problems; plus, brewers don’t like paying malt prices for water. A typical range for moisture content is 3–5% and, in some cases, as high as 6%. Malt with higher than 6% moisture content may have shelf-life problems caused by mold or insects.

When malt is fully analyzed to provide the COA, moisture is one of the analyses. The moisture content of malt is determined by weighing a sample, completely drying in a drying oven, determining the dry weight, and then calculating the moisture content of the original sample. Extract is reported in dry-basis and as-is, or with moisture, terms. Brewers use as-is extract for routine brewing calculations because malt contains moisture, and use dry-basis when comparing extract differences from different malts. 

Extract Potential

The extract potential tells the brewer what to expect from the wort’s specific gravity (SG) based on their mash efficiency and the available enzymes. Laboratory mashing is much more intensive than what is typically used these days in most breweries, and lab extract numbers are almost always higher than what is produced in the brewery. Although the lab results differ from brewing results, lab extract potential gives the brewer an understanding of what the malt can produce and what the brewer can expect.

Malt labs run malt samples through the basic extract test using finely ground and coarsely ground malt samples. The results from these tests are known as Fine Grind (as-is), or FG-AI, and Coarse Grind (as-is), or CG-AI, where the “as-is” designation means that the extract potential has been determined using a given weight of malt that includes the moisture. Once the malt lab has determined moisture, FG-AI, and CG-AI, then FG-DB (Fine Grind-Dry Basis) and CG-DB (Coarse Grind-Dry Basis) is calculated.

Extract potential varies by malt variety, protein level, fertilizer application, irrigation/rainfall, and other environmental conditions. These days, most brewing malts produced around the world range from 78–84% FG-DB extract.

FG/CG Difference

The difference between the FG-DB and CG-DB tests gives insight into how well the malt is modified. A high FG/CG percentage will indicate that the base malt is not yielding its extract as easily. Any difference above 1.5% means a protein rest and step mash may be beneficial. Below this percentage, the malt is suitable for a single-infusion mash. 

Determining Extract Potential/PPG using the COA

Points per Pound per Gallon (PPG) are based on the assumption that one pound of malt mashed and sparged in one gallon of water would yield 1.035 SG at 100% efficiency. Our mash efficiency is then calculated as a percentage of this number (for example, at 75% mash efficiency, we could estimate 1.026 PPG).

This is still a functional method used to calculate an average recipe, getting us close enough for homebrew using the average base malt. But if we want to be more specific, we can use the CG-DB and FG/CG Difference found in a malt COA to determine the malt’s extract potential. We also need to know the moisture content since, for the CG-DB test, all the malt’s moisture is removed, and our malt will have moisture content.

The easiest way to determine the PPG is first to use a known factor that always gives us the exact same starting gravity every time it is dissolved in a measured quantity of water: Sucrose. One pound (0.45 kg) of sucrose or refined table sugar dissolved in one gallon (3.8 L) of water will always give 1.046 SG. Using this known quantity, we can determine the extract potential of any malt based on its COA. 

Using our sample malt COA from Figure 1, we see that the CG-DB = 79% while our FG/CG Difference = 1%. The moisture content of our malt is 4%. Since the lab removed the malt’s moisture to perform the lab mash (called a congress mash), we must add it back to determine our FG/CG “as is” (or with moisture). To do this, subtract the moisture content percentage from the FG/CG Difference and then multiply this by the CG-DB. So: CG-DB x (FG/CG – moisture %) = FG/CG “as is”

Or: 79 x (1 – 0.04) = 75.84 FG/CG “as is”)

This means our malt has an extract potential of 75.84. However, we must still convert it to PPG (Points per Pound per Gallon) using the known PPG of sucrose (1.046).

So: PPG sucrose x FG/CG “as is” = malt PPG (@100% efficiency)

Or: 46 x 0.7584 = 34.8 PPG (or 1.035 @ 100% efficiency)

Since we will never get 100% efficiency on our mash, we determine our actual PPG by multiplying the outcome by our mash efficiency. If our efficiency usually is 75%, then:

35 x 0.75 = 26.25 or 1.026 PPG (at 75% efficiency)

Knowing how to determine the malt’s extract potential helps to understand if sudden lulls in efficiency are due to process flaws or if it is the malt itself. It also lets the brewer understand what to expect if using an unusual malt. With the variety of craft maltsters that have popped up, understanding extract potential is a powerful tool.

Diastatic Power (DP)

A malt’s ability to convert starches into sugars is quantified by its Diastatic Power (DP), which measures alpha and beta amylase. This is usually denoted in degrees Lintner (°L ; not to be confused with Lovibond) on the COA. The DP may also be written as Windisch-Kolbach (°WK) in Europe. These numbers can be converted from one to another: Lintner = (WK + 16) / 3.5 or as WK = 3.5 x Lintner – 16. Often, the COA will display both.

Without diastatic enzymes, we wouldn’t have beer as we know it because we need the enzymes to break the starches into sugars to make a wort digestible by brewer’s yeast. The higher the DP, the more modified the malt. For an all-grain mash to fully convert itself, the malt must be at least 35–40 °L (106–124 °WK). Malts with higher DP can convert themselves and a portion of unmalted adjuncts. The higher the DP, the higher the percentage of adjuncts that can be added. North American malts tend to have higher DP than European malts, with American 6-row malt having enough enzymes to convert a large portion of adjuncts as commonly used in American adjunct lagers. In general, lighter base malts will have more diastatic power. Higher-kilned base malts, such as Munich malts, usually have less DP.

DP measurement becomes critical when using higher-kilned base malts such as dark Munich, which may have a DP as low as 35–40 °L (106–124 °WK). Base malt with a lower DP may take longer to convert or have a lower mash efficiency. Therefore, when using large percentages of malt with a lower DP, adding some Pilsner or even six-row malt is sometimes beneficial, giving the mash a bump of extra enzymes.

Protein

Protein makes up a large percentage of malt. It’s imperative to have some protein for basic mouthfeel, body and head retention, and basic yeast nutrients. However, too much protein in malt can cause problems such as permanent haze and inconsistent color. 

When using adjuncts with low or absent protein content, such as corn or rice, it’s important to use a malt with sufficiently high protein and enzyme content to make up for the adjunct deficiencies. Because of barley breeding efforts to meet the needs of large, global breweries, most North American and European 2-row malts can easily handle up to about 25% dilution from adjuncts without any problem. Although 6-row varieties are still grown, all of the large North American breweries, such as Anheuser-Busch Inbev and MolsonCoors, now almost exclusively use 2-row barley varieties.

Maltsters may list Total Nitrogen (TN) instead of Total Protein (TP). One percent Total Nitrogen equals 6.25% Total Protein. To determine the TP, multiply TN by 6.25.

Total Protein: The ideal protein percentage for base malt is between 9–12.5%. Malt with higher protein will have more enzymes but lower extract potential, while a lower protein malt will have fewer enzymes but more extract potential. In all-malt beers, protein over 12.5% can cause haze or lautering problems. Conversely, under 9% and head retention, mouthfeel, and body may suffer.

Sometimes, a brewer may want to use a portion of malt with a higher protein percentage, such as a specialty malt (like six-row, dextrin, wheat, or chit malt), to increase mouthfeel and head retention. This may be especially true if using adjuncts low in protein, such as sugar, corn, or rice.

Soluble Protein: This is the measurement of protein in soluble form and indicates how much protein can be extracted from the mash. It’s primarily used to determine the S/T measurement, described next.

S/T (Soluble Protein/Total Protein Ratio): During malt modification, proteins in the grain are broken down and become more soluble. The higher the S/T ratio, the more modified the malt. Anything over 35% can be considered highly modified. Most lightly kilned base malts should have an S/T ratio of about 40–46%. Anything lower than 35% would need a step mash with a protein rest or a decoction mash to make the protein more soluble. Anything above 50% could result in a thin, watery body and mouthfeel. To determine the S/T, divide the soluble protein by the total protein (S/T = SP / TP)

FAN (Free Amino Nitrogen): Amino acids are an essential micronutrient in malt wort. On a malt COA, FAN is the measurement of amino acids. These are low molecular-level proteins that develop in the barley during germination.

A higher-modified malt will generally have a higher FAN measurement. A measurement of 150–250 ppm is ideal. Anything below 150 ppm can cause yeast health problems. If using large amounts of unmalted adjuncts, such as corn or rice, you need to use a malt with a higher FAN measurement since adjuncts do not have the necessary FAN for yeast health. Levels of FAN above 250 ppm indicate that the malt is excessively modified and could produce a thinner beer.

Beta-Glucans

Beta-glucans directly affect wort viscosity and can cause a slow or stuck lauter. All malts have some level of beta-glucan since it is present in barley and reduced in size, but not eliminated, during malting. Some cereals, such as wheat, rye, and oats, typically have higher levels than barley. Beta-glucans are generally considered a potential problem at levels over 140 ppm.

Friability

Friability is the measurement of how easily a malt crushes. Malt that crushes easily and breaks into uniform pieces when milled is ideal. The friability of the malt should be over 80%. Anything under this is questionable because low friability is associated with under-modified malt, higher-moisture malt, and malt produced from barley with a high proportion of dead kernels. On the other hand, friability above about 90% is indicative of well-modified malt. 

This is an edited excerpt from Keith T. Yager’s Unlocking Homebrew: The Four Keys to Tasty Beer (self-published, 2024). Available from Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Homebrew-Four-Keys-Tasty-ebook/dp/B0CT6Y2BS7

Brewing is a form of expression for me, and I’m guessing it is for you, too. I’m about to say something you already know: Brewing beer is a science and an art. The masters of the craft understand not only the process but also the tools available. Specialty malt is one of the greatest tools brewers have at their disposal. 

Is specialty malt perfect for every recipe and style? No, but neither are bacteria, high-alpha hops, or soft water. These malts are most easily defined by what they are not: Base malt, which makes up most of your grain bill. Base malts like two-row, pale ale, and Pilsner malt can be used up to 100% of the mash bill and are the “base” of your beer, relied upon for starch, and following a mash, their sugar. Other base malts, like Vienna, Munich, and mild malt might be mistaken for specialty malt due to their specific use or higher color, and because they are often used in lower percentages than other base malts. Think of specialty malt as anything that typically doesn’t require mashing and provides other key attributes to the beer. 

Specialty malts provide many key aspects to your beer such as flavor, aroma, color, body, mouthfeel, sweetness, acidity, and head retention — many variables! They can even influence overall alcohol, but much less so than base malt. Of course, the techniques you use to brew your beer and the other ingredients also affect the above.

The focus of this article is light-colored special malts, which are some of the most versatile specialty malts. I’m defining these as anything up to 30 Lovibond (°L). You might see maltsters now using Standard Reference Method (SRM), or in other countries European Brewery Convention (EBC). SRM has become the standard for beer color, at least in the United States. SRM is relatively close to Lovibond, but they do deviate. The conversation is SRM = Lovibond x 1.3546-0.76

Light specialty malts, given their relatively low color contribution, can be used in most beer styles — from American pale ale to German bocks, Belgian golden ales, and even darker porters and stouts. The flexibility of these malts means they can add flavor depth or improve foam and head retention when used in small, almost unnoticeable amounts, and create a smooth mouthfeel and fuller body to what might otherwise come across as a watery beer. 

How Specialty Malts are Made

Much like brewing, the making of specialty malt is both science and art. It requires skillful maltsters, accurate timing, and good temperature control.

Specialty malts can be made from any grain through the malting process and/or roasting. In the case of most light-colored specialty malts, as is the case with base malt, barley is the most common grain used. Wheat and oats are also fairly common. Raw grain goes through the malting process of steeping, germination, and drying by kilning (lower temperatures), or roasting (higher temperatures), or both. Base malts are never roasted because the maltster wants to preserve the starch and enzymes in base malt to make sugar. Otherwise your yeast will have nothing to ferment. With specialty malt, all bets are off! Specialty malt is not meant to be 100% of the grain bill. Maltsters are free to do whatever they want as long as it’s dry enough for storage, transportation, and milling. Raw grain can easily rot — it’s one of the reasons we use malt. Some specialty “malts” are actually specialty “grains,” but often get lumped together into one category as “specialty malt.” These grains skip the malting process completely and the raw grain is roasted. If you’ve made a dark beer, you’ve likely used roasted barley.

Depending on the type of malt made, the process typically consists of three or four steps: Steeping, germination, and kilning, or depending on the malt the third or fourth step may be roasting. Roasting can be used instead of kilning, as is the case for dark unmalted grains, as well as caramel or crystal malts.

Steeping

The steeping process typically lasts between 40–48 hours. During this time, the grain is soaked and drained in intervals, often four to eight hours at a time, depending on the variety of barley and how well it takes up water. As water is absorbed by the grain, the moisture content in the kernel jumps from about 12% to around 44%. The barley begins sprouting with this additional water, the critical ingredient for growth. The available enzymes inside stimulate the embryo. Growth also creates more enzymes, good for brewers who need them to convert starch into sugar during mashing. Little white rootlets start to sprout, just visible as a white dot outside of the barley, known as “chit.”

Germination

As soon as the barley is “chitted” and reaches the correct moisture, it is moved from the steeping tanks to long troughs or beds, referred to as germination vessels. The barley sits for four to five days, and the maltster watches the chit grow into rootlets. The grain is turned and aerated during germination to keep the barley from growing together and to maintain consistent growth throughout the grain bed.

Kilning

Growth needs to be stopped before the grain becomes full-blown plants that would use up all of the good starches and enzymes. Germination is halted by adding heat through kilning and/or roasting. Kilning is the drying process used to produce base and kilned specialty malts (as opposed to drum roasted). Hot, dry air flows into the kiln from a slotted or screen bottom, exposing the malt to heat, and takes 1-2 days to lower the malt moisture to around 4.5%. Time and temperature are the maltster’s primary tools and control the variety of malt being made. 

A number of light specialty malts are made in the kiln. These include: 

• Dextrin malt – This includes trademarked malts such as Briess Carapils^® and Weyermann Carafoam^®.

• Munich malt – Lighter Munich malts can be considered a base malt. As a specialty flavor contributor, I think of anything 10 °L or darker as more of a specialty malt, with Munich typically reaching up to 30 °L in color. Some of these darker Munich malts are called “aromatic malt” due to the intense malt flavor and aroma they provide.

• Kilned caramel or crystal malt – Differentiated by its more subtle flavor (and sometimes color) contribution than roasted caramel or crystal malt.

• Other unique specialty malts – Many are made in the kiln and include: Red malts, melanoidin malts, and honey malts, as well as unique maltster-specific specialty malts. An example is Simpsons Golden Naked Oats^®, a light-colored caramelized oat.

Roasting

Kilning typically uses lower temperatures, from 160–220 °F (71– 104 °C), where roasting uses temperatures from 160–750 °F (71–400 °C). This temperature range allows for darker malts and a wide variety of specialty malts that couldn’t be produced by kilning alone. Roasting uses a number of different techniques. The use of unmalted grains, “green malt” directly from the germination vessel, and malt from the kiln provides the specialty maltster endless opportunities for a variety of roasted specialty products. Roasted caramel malts, which start as green malt from the germination vessel, are typically stewed to convert the starch into sugar and then roasted to “crystallize” or “caramelize” the sugar inside the kernel. The sugar is a hard glassy bead inside the grain — be careful when chewing caramel malt because the sugar inside can be hard enough to chip teeth!

Almost all dark specialty malt is made in a roaster, but light specialty malt can be too. This includes:

• Amber malt – Typically, a finished base malt from the kiln is put into the roaster, and depending on the time and temperature, these “toasted” malts generally range in color from 20–80 °L.

• Biscuit malt – Bready and nutty, biscuit malts tend to be some of the most flavorful light specialty malts. 

• Roasted caramel or crystal malt – One of the most popular light specialty malts. These often add to body and mouthfeel but also provides a caramel, toffee, or burnt sugar note to the flavor and aroma.

• Other unique specialty malts – Many variations using different types of grain and subtle changes to technique give the maltster’s “signature” and allow for the production of unique malts. Malts that begin with “Cara” have been caramelized and often are a unique variation on caramel malt. Other unique grains and malts from the roaster will simply state they are roasted, such as “light roasted oats.”

Best Uses

Now that we know more about specialty malt, let’s talk about its practical uses. For many brewers, specialty malt in small amounts is their secret weapon. It enhances their beer and, in some cases, is not even detectable to the most experienced beer judge or drinker. In many cases, the goal isn’t to overwhelm the beer with these malts, but to work with them within a threshold that elevates the beer. 

Body and mouthfeel enhancement

A watery beer can be off-putting, but too much body can feel too heavy. Mashing hot will leave additional complex sugars in the beer, but similar to head retention, using some specialty malt that has undergone the Maillard reaction (the process of browning, which creates more complex compounds in the beer) is another way to enhance both body and mouthfeel. Certain aspects that affect mouthfeel, such as alcohol content and carbonation, are not as easy to control with specialty malt.

Body and mouthfeel applications

• Including 5–10% dextrin malt in your grain bill will increase body in the beer. 

• 5–10% of light caramel malt (5–30 °L) is one of the best ways to improve the body in many beers. At the upper end of this range it contributes some color and dark sugary flavors also. 

• 3–20% Munich malt is another way to enhance the body. Darker Munich malts (15–30 °L) contribute a nice deep golden color and add a nice bready character to your beer as well.

Flavor and aroma contribution

One of the primary reasons people use any specialty malt is to hit a specific flavor or aroma profile, or to increase the intensity. Key flavor and aroma contributions include:

• Caramel malts (up to 30 °L)– Caramel, toffee, almond.

• Munich and Aromatic malts– Toast, grainy, nutty.

• Amber malts – Bread, pretzel, burnt sugar.

• Biscuit malts – Saltine cracker, biscuit, graham cracker.

Flavor and aroma applications

• When looking to balance hops against the malt character of the beer, a small amount of 2–5% caramel malt can help bring focus and backbone to the bitterness.

• If you are looking to add traditional or continental character to a lager, Munich malt of 10–20 °L, in the range of 5–20% of the mash bill, is a
great addition.

• Some of the more distinctive flavors of amber and biscuit malts can get quite intense. Dry roasted malts are best added from 2–5% in most beers where a more dynamic malt flavor is desired. Think amber, brown, and dark beers.

Color contribution

It’s worth mentioning that many specialty malts contribute color. Although it can be hard to target a specific color, brewers often target oranges and reds for specific styles. It’s true we drink first with our eyes, and color does matter. But, oftentimes, it is one of the hardest things to control. Malts like Bestmalz Red-X^® have hit the market, specifically targeting brewers looking for red color. The other difficult part to manage with specialty malts is how dark a beer might get, especially when the beer is meant to be lighter in style. In the case of classic Pilsners or lagers, nothing darker than a 2 °L dextrin malt is used. 

Color contribution applications

• When some golden hues are called for, Munich and caramel malts up to 20 °L might be used in moderation, up to 5–10%. A darker copper color will develop above 30 °L.

• When red color is desired, try a Munich or similar specialty malt in the 20–30 °L range, at a rate of 5–20% of the malt bill. These are often used in conjunction with a small amount (1–2%) of a dark roasted malt like chocolate or roasted barley to accentuate the color and to add some dryness to a style like Irish red ale.

Great for Extract Brews Too

Not brewing all-grain? Specialty malts typically do not need to be converted or mashed, so steeping during extract brewing works well. Any light specialty malt can be used from 2–12 oz. (57–340 g) at a time for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. In total, often target between 4–8 oz. (113–227 g), and no more than 2 lbs. (0.9 kg) of specialty malt at a time. You only need about 15 minutes of steep time at 152 °F (67 °C) to extract most of their given attributes (but starchier specialty malts like Munich, when steeped, may not convert to sugar or contribute significantly to your gravity or ABV). You can also steep specialty grains separately, say in a French press or small muslin bag in a kettle, and add it to your boil or fermenter.

There are many ways light specialty malt can have a positive contribution to your beer. Take good tasting notes on your recipe, your brewing process, and when you finally get to enjoy the beer, the flavors and aromas. There is no better way to learn what you can achieve with light specialty malts than using them! 

The following recipes highlight ways light specialty malts can be used.

Here are examples of how to use light specialty malt. The Golden Ale recipe uses two specialty malts that will add some body and mouthfeel to what otherwise might be a fairly straightforward beer. The subtle complexity of the dextrin and caramelized oats make this a summery beer without being boring.

The Helles Bock recipe takes light specialty malts in a completely different direction, and showcases the bold and dynamic flavors you can achieve using lighter malts. The four specialty malts all contribute to the beer in their own way providing a broad range of flavors and aromas including biscuity, bready, malty, and toffee notes.

Smoked beers are rising in popularity, but many brewers shy away from using smoked malts because they are intimidated or simply don’t know how to use smoked ingredients. Learn how to unlock the wonderful world of smoked beer and how to properly use smoked malt in your recipes and when brewing with Brew Your Own’s Technical Editor and Mr. Wizard Columnist Ashton Lewis.